Dr Battison was a member of the BDA from graduation in 1966 until his retirement in 2013. A long-standing member of the East of Scotland Branch, he also served as its President from 1984-1985.
Qualifying in 1966 from the Edinburgh University and Dental School with the Class Medal in Operative Dental Surgery, he worked as a general practitioner in Kinross and Edinburgh before becoming principal in a three-surgery practice in 1969.
He worked as a visiting dental practitioner to Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School supervising final year students in the conservation department from 1977-1979. During the 1980s, he was occupational dental surgeon to the staff at Bangour Hospitals, and from 1988-1995 he became visiting dental surgeon to Marks & Spencer Stores in Edinburgh.
He was one of the first group of GDPs to receive MGDS RCS (Edin) in 1982, and in 1983 gained MGDS RCPS (Glasg). In 1997, he received FDS RCS (Edin) by assessment.
From 1993-1995, he was Chair of the Scottish Dental Vocational Training Equivalence and Certification Committee and from 1998, he served as a Non-Executive Director of the Medical & Dental Defence Society of Scotland (MDDUS).
As one of the Dental Practice Advisors to West Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust from 2000 to 2013, he supported and maintained the quality of the dental practice in Lothian. He wrote the Lothian Practice Support Manual which was the forerunner for the SDCEP's practice support manual and informed much of the current Scottish Combine Dental Practice Inspection.
He always had a keen interest in dental politics and attend his first LDC meeting in 1967 in Edinburgh. He was elected to the LDC in 1969/70 and was an active member until his retirement.
Nominations for this year's current round of BDA Honours and Awards close on 27 May 2022 (or 29 April for the BDA's Joy Harrild Award for Young Dentists). These awards are designed to acknowledge the unsung heroes of our profession; those who have upheld and improved the standards of dentistry.
If you know someone who has demonstrated outstanding services to UK dentistry and/or the BDA, please nominate them before the deadline.